Haines police shot and killed a male black bear in a residential neighborhood Thursday morning.
Police say the bear had become a public safety risk. Its increasingly bold behavior included pushing on windows and doors of a crowded restaurant and peering into people’s homes.
Numerous people called police about it, said Haines Police Chief Heath Scott.
“Nov. 1 until today, we’ve had approximately 50 plus calls, I think the final number is at 53, as of today,” he said on Thursday. “Most of those calls have been generated by the bear that was dispatched this morning and 11:07am.”
It is believed to be the third bear killed this year. A records request filed by KHNS with the police department on Thursday is pending.
Alaska Department of Fish and Game wildlife biologist Carl Koch said his agency worked with law enforcement to track the black bear. It was spotted looking into the Old Field Kitchen restaurant in Fort Seward during a busy brunch time on Sunday, and pushing on doors and windows. Koch said the bear was identifiable by its markings, including a wound over the right eye.
“None of the agencies like to remove them. But when we do, we like to make sure we get the right one,” Koch said. “And in this situation, the picture is on social media, the bear is standing up and looking in the window. The picture is from the perspective of inside… And you can see it as a gash over its right eye. And it has some white markings that some people call it a chest blaze on it on the front of its chest.”
RELATED: Some bears are still out in Haines. Biologists say that’s not so unusual.
Koch said the bear’s brazen and bold behavior was an indication it was dangerous.
He got a call from a Haines police officer who located it on Wednesday.
“I asked him if it had a wound over its right eye. And he said, ‘Yes.’ Does it have the white markings? ‘Yes.’ And so at that point, I said, ‘I think we’ve exhausted our options, we’ve tried a lot of hazing and things like that. And they just continue to be bold, and it’s time to dispatch the bear,’” Koch said.
Neighbors raised concerns on social media about hearing multiple shots fired. But Scott said his officers had to do what was necessary to put down a large animal humanely.
“In this case, it was a fairly large animal. And, the animal didn’t perish immediately is what I understand. Again, I haven’t seen the reports, I’m going to look at the reports in writing to find out, but this is not unusual for a larger animal,” Scott said.
Scott said it’s not so unusual for bears to be active this time of year, but this bear was reported to be underweight meaning it was likely desperate for food.
“I understand the emotion around the subject. And all attempts regarding this specific bear were made to haze this and move it along. And they were done over a fairly extended period of time,” he said. “When the bear starts engaging in behavior that causes life and safety issues, and becomes a public safety nuisance, we have to intervene.”
Last year 30 bears were killed by agencies in and around Haines after a combination of a poor berry harvest, lackluster salmon run and other factors caused bears to wander into town and break into people’s homes and vehicles in search of food.
Scott said he wants to reassure the public that his department only kills bears if they are a clear threat.
“In this set of circumstances, we were able to slow things down. And we didn’t see any behavior changing,” Scott said.
He added that authorities in Haines are aware of one brown bear and at least one other black bear in town, and urged the public to secure their garbage and any attractants around their property.
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